The continued news of the devastation in Haiti seems so surreal. The reports are overwhelming and our hearts are sorrowful with the losses of so many. One of the hardest things to deal with is not knowing. Not knowing if loved ones are safe or dead… not knowing if there is anything that you can do to help in all the chaos… or if you would just be in the way, not knowing what to take that would be most needed. People are sending aid from around the world but I am afraid that very few are bringing the gospel. Aid without the gospel is like a body without a spirit. Our prayers and hopes are that, with all the physical aid that is brought to Haiti the gospel will be preached
Many people have ask me… “what’s the best avenue to get clothes, supplies & over the counter meds. to the right destination & Authority?” To be perfectly frank … I am so worried that what has happened in so many other disasters in Haiti will happen again. There is no infrastructure, no real Haitian leadership and …so much corruption that very little of the aid gets to where it should. Another problem is that the port authorities are notorious for stealing aid and stockpiling it in their own warehouses to sell at later dates. It is very, very unfortunate to say the least. I am counseling people to give to their favorite charity e.g. Red Cross, World Relief Fund, T.E.A.R.S. Etc. Sending things e.g. clothing, food, meds, etc., is just not cost effective. Dealing with customs and exportation bureaucracy here in the D.R. to Haiti can be a nightmare and is uncertain to say the least. I am meeting with our Haitian leaders about what would be best for us to do to help. We are sending a team over to help where they can, pass out tracks/bibles and gather info on loved one’s of our Haitian Church members here in the D.R. that have not been able to communicate with anyone. We are also setting up refuge and food at our Soto Church Center for the influx of people that are/will be crossing the border looking for shelter and help.
Key elements of our plan:
1. Sending Team in: Our main focus for this team will be making contact with family of members in our Haitian Churches here in the D.R. They will take in tracts and N.T.’s to give out but the physical aid will be primarily left to the Huge aid organizations that are flooding into Haiti right now.
2. Prep for “family” members and friends of family that are crossing the border: Basic things like sheets, cooking utensils, toiletries, food, etc.
3. Receiving “family” members and friends of families in the church though hospitality, care, and support.
We also wanted to direct you to the following organizations involved in large-capacity relief efforts who are offering on-site aid & support.
CHRISTIAN & MISSIONARY ALLIANCE
This entry was posted on Friday, January 15th, 2010 at 12:38 pm and is filed under Haitian Ministry, General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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